Peppermint Bark and Peppermint Bark Cookies

Peppermint bark is a great gift to give out during the holidays. Most people don't think about making it, but it is so easy and TONS cheaper than the store bought stuff. (not mentioning any names, but come on Williams Sonoma, your bark is good, but not worth that much, oops, I mentioned their name.) So try this recipe. It doesn't take long for the bark to set up and when it is done you can just break it into pieces.



I had leftover bark so I decided to bake cookies with the extra pieces. I used a basic chocolate chip recipe and threw in the bark. They were really tasty!! The peppermint bark added a nice crunch and was quite refreshing at the same time! I think I will make these every year!

Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Use Real Butter

1 lb dark chocolate, chopped

1 lb white chocolate, chopped
A drop of peppermint oil
12 peppermint candy canes, crushed (about 1 cup)

Melt the dark chocolate and pour onto a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil or a silpat. Spread evenly to desired thickness. Place in refrigerator to harden. Sift peppermint candy to separate the large chunks from the peppermi

nt sand. Melt the white chocolate. Stir in peppermint oil. Make sure it is only a drop. That stuff is strong!

When cooled, fold the peppermint sand into the white chocolate taking care not to overmix (and getting pink chocolate instead). Remove dark chocolate from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top. Sprinkle the peppermint chunks evenly over the white chocolate and gently press the pieces into the layer. Refrigerate until hardened. Break the bark into pieces.

Peppermint Bark Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 T sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Peppermint Bark-chopped up, about 1 1/2 cups

Sift the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth. (I recommend using a Kitchenaid Mixer for this.) Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add in the chopped up peppermint bark.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat! (I use a silpat, they are the best.) Bake the cookies 2 inches apart for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a minute and transfer to a cooling rack.